In one of the several responses to my last post Bax tossed out the following in a comment aimed at Dr. P.:
"On this topic (climatic change), you need to learn humility. You are not qualified to argue the science. Period. Neither am I. We need to look to the scientists - the experts."
I am willing to accept Bax at his word: namely, that he is not qualified to argue the science.
I am.
The world has been colder, much colder, than it is now. It has also been hotter. I suppose Bax knows that there have been Ice Ages, as many as nine. And somehow, things have warmed up. I don't know if he knows that the world has been hotter than it is now, but it has.
Do you guys know that the the magnetic poles have reversed? Something like 7 times? It is true (fossil evidence). Bax, you do believe in fossil evidence, yes/no?
The world is a massive engine. The forces at work are stronger than all things manmade. The thing to learn about man's effect on the world were well stated in the video that Bax trashed (Bax; were you really silly enough to attack the presentation because of the age of the presenter?!?!?!? Are we back to not trusting anyone over 30?!?!? If you have something then BRING IT! But don't be sophomoric.)
As stated in the video, we should not poison the planet. We should help all people move forward economically. (Was that too subtle? It means we should work to eliminate poverty.) Further economic development is a good thing. That means using energy to replace human toil, among other things.
The leftist climate change industry that Bax likes to quote has a couple of motivations. The easiest to understand are the "scientists" who make a living from studies and writings. For them it is a growth industry. Bully for them! There is another group of (mostly) well meaning folks (Bax among them, in my opinion) who have a dizzy vision of some time in around, oh, I don't know, 1840, when the World (meaning the continental U.S) was "perfect." Indians were pursuing their gentle lives on The Prairie and the air was clean and the water pure. And somehow, those who believe that Western Man and Capitalism are responsible for everything ill on the planet also feel that we should return the World to that 1800s condition. (They probably don't want the same life expectancy as then, and they might miss their refrigerators and iPods, but I digress.)
The fact that the world is warming is true. There is no fact that it is warming simply because of mankind's activities. I think that there is every reason to believe that more carbon dioxide doesn't help, but I'll take more carbon dioxide if it means more people not starving, more people with shelter, more people living longer and better.
Bax, those with technical expertise know that there are first order causes, second order causes, third order and so on. To think that mankind is a first order cause is to demonstrate an absence of understanding of the forces at work and the history of the world. Stop hiding behind "90% of scientists" and get your ass in gear and go learn something.
All the best!
Hags
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2 comments:
Looks like the Good Doc is not the only one who needs to download some humility.
I'll stick with my original comments - PhD's in the field know far more than I ever will on this topic and I respect their collective wisdom. I am baffled that otherwise bright folks think they know better than the experts.
There have been previous Ice Ages? Of course. Does that mean that we should just impotently stand by if another is heading our way? The scientific community says there are things we can do to mitigate climate change. Why wouldn't take their approach in any event?
Some folks know what they don't know and some folks don't.
I'll repeat and expand on an earlier point that I have made. People need to organize their lives and their world view such that things make sense. When science intrudes and conflicts with their deeply held political or religious views, faith and dogma often win. Science loses the argument in the mind of the true believers. I think that is clearly the case with climate change and evolution (two different topics, though skeptics of one tend to be skeptics of the other).
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